Asbestos FAQs

A detailed analysis of asbestos and its risks can be found on our asbestos page.

Asbestos poses a range of significant risks to health including cancer, which is why there are such strict regulations in place.

The legislation regarding asbestos is clear. Every commercial premises in the UK is subject to an asbestos survey report and measures taken to manage any materials containing asbestos. Your failure to have this information and a management plan in place could result in prosecution. As of October 2012 the HSE have bought in a fee for intervention meaning that if any business or company is found to be in breach of the health and safety law they will be charged an hourly rate of £124 for however long an inspector spends identifying material breaches. These material breaches could include not undertaking and asbestos survey of your building(s) and not managing your asbestos. Being able to demonstrate that you know and can quantify your risks with regard to asbestos could reduce current and future costs and liabilities. An Asbestos Survey is your first step to managing the asbestos risks on your premises. Your next step will be to write and implement an Asbestos Management Plan.

This depends on the type, location and condition of the asbestos that is found. The recommendations can include managing the asbestos to asbestos removal in extreme cases.

This will depend on many factors including the size of the premises, how many floors and how accessible all locations are etc. This is why we cannot advertise prices on our website as costs vary so much. Our prices however are HIGHLY competitive. For a free no obligation quotation why not get in touch by submitting a form or call us on 0333 344 1555.

We never mention the 'A' word on site. We have discrete, unmarked vehicles where required. If questions are asked, we simply explain that a building survey is being undertaken.

Very rarely. Our survey report highlights the location, extent and condition of any asbestos materials, found on your property. If the asbestos materials pose a health risk to the users of the building then we recommend that areas are sealed off.

Our asbestos inspectors are BOHS (The British Occupational Hygiene Society) P402 and BOHS S301 qualified and in addition are members of, and hold the RSPH (The Royal Society for Public Health) Level 3 Certificate in Asbestos Inspection Procedures.

We use floor plans, photographs and descriptions to display information showing the exact areas surveyed and to show where samples were taken. If no floor plans are present for the property we draw and record our own layout plans.

All our asbestos surveyors are DBS checked for your reassurance, after introduction and being shown around your property we can be safely left to carry out the survey.

No, it depends on the condition of the asbestos materials and the location. This is the beauty of Trident not undertaking asbestos removal ourselves or being affiliated to any asbestos removal company, your recommendations are 100% impartial. The final report will give recommendations on any asbestos containing materials found.

Yes, we wear facemasks when taking samples. The object of conducting a survey is to obtain samples without polluting the environment. If during a survey we discover asbestos material in a poor condition we would discuss this with you and seal off the area. However, this is a rare occurrence. During the survey we may control the movement of personnel until an area has been surveyed.

During either a Management, or a Refurbishment and Demolition survey the methods used are such to avoid polluting the environment. Asbestos materials are safer when not disturbed so if a sample is required a minimum amount of material is extracted, and done so in a safe manner.

Not during an Asbestos Management Survey, however, Refurbishment Surveys and Demolition Surveys are more intrusively investigated and damage may well occur. We will of course discuss this with you beforehand.

Yes during an Asbestos Management Survey. We only take samples from areas and materials that need investigation. During a Refurbishment Survey and Demolition Survey the building in question should be unoccupied whilst the survey is undertaken. Trident's 24/7, 365 days a year service however means that we can have the survey undertaken out of office hours, or at weekends and holiday periods if required.

Yes. An asbestos survey needs to be thorough after all. We need to survey all areas, rooms, cupboards, lofts, including all locked areas. If there are areas we are unable to gain access to we may have to presume asbestos materials are present or return at a future date.

The larger the building, and the harder areas are to fully access, naturally the longer it will take. Usually several hours is sufficient to survey a property thoroughly.

Yes. Photographs are used to record the exterior and interior of the property and to help identify the areas where samples were taken, and are used in your asbestos report. We do not photograph individual faces or personal items like car number plates. At the end of the survey a client may examine the digital photographs taken around their property.

No. Asbestos products have to be handled in a certain way. The remit of the asbestos survey is to map out the asbestos containing materials. If asbestos removal is recommended in the report, a licensed asbestos removal contractor should then be used.

Yes. The property can then be re-surveyed to update the report and state that the material has been removed, with photographs and descriptions to form a living archive to the history of this particular property.

Yes. If the Health and Safety Executive visit your premises or site and find a material breach of the legislation, you will be charged £124 per hour for the inspector's time.

You can book your Asbestos Survey by calling us today on 0333 344 1555 or by using our contact form. We will require certain information about the buildings to give you an accurate cost, for example, the size of the rooms which needs surveying, the number of floors and the age of the building etc.